Latest news with #Columbine
Metro
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
This ‘controversial' Buffy episode was replaced on TV with two hours' notice
In May 1999, Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans were waiting anxiously for its big season 3 finale when it was dramatically pulled from TV at the last minute. The fantasy drama series began in 1997 on the US channel The WB and quickly became one of the most popular TV shows for teenagers and young adults. Its popularity has stood the test of time, too, with a reboot now in the works. It followed high school student Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar), a 'slayer' who was tasked with protecting the citizens of Sunnydale from dark supernatural forces while balancing her studies. By the end of season 3, Buffy and her friends Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and Willow (Alyson Hannigan) had completed their final year of high school and were ready to graduate. However, their plans for final year are disrupted by The Mayor (Harry Groener), Sunnydale's initially unassuming mayor who has secretly been enabling the town's evil supernatural phenomena all along. Things come to a head when the Mayor plans to unveil his demon form—a giant serpent—and unleash evil on graduation day at Sunnydale High School during his keynote speech. Part one of Graduation Day, the 22nd episode of season three, had already been broadcast on May 18 to more than five million people, with the exciting conclusion set for broadcast a week later on May 25. The WB's plans started to change a month earlier, on April 20, 1999, when 17-year-old Dylan Klebold and 18-year-old Eric Harris perpetrated the Columbine High School massacre. Using high-powered rifles and homemade explosives, Klebold and Harris killed 13 students at the Colorado school, injuring 23 others, before turning their guns on themselves. The emotional, political, and cultural impact of Columbine was wide-reaching, with the United States in a state of shocked mourning for weeks afterwards. Its impact is still felt today and is referred to as 'the Columbine effect'. During Graduation Day Part Two, Buffy arms Sunnydale's students with weapons (including guns and flamethrowers) to defeat The Mayor, with the school eventually being blown up to destroy his demon form. Naturally, The WB was nervous about broadcasting an episode that depicted a full-scale battle on school grounds so soon after Columbine and pulled the episode just two hours before its premiere. An older episode of Buffy was broadcast instead—the decision was mocked by comedy skits on The Daily Show, with host Jon Stewart suggesting a new title for Buffy: The Vampire Inconveniencer. Buffy actor Seth Green questioned the decision, saying: 'It would have seemed really callous and inappropriate. But the actual episode has nothing to do with school violence. It's a red herring in the story. 'The simple fact is, this is a topical issue. It's a growing problem, and Colorado isn't the only place it's happened. We just don't want to think these things happen, but they happen all the time.' Heathers (2018) The Heathers reboot series, inspired by the 1988 film starring Winona Ryder, got off to a rocky start in 2018 when it was pulled off the air not once but twice as a result of a mass shooting. Two episodes were pulled from TV schedules after 11 people were killed in a shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. Mr Robot (2015) Rami Malek series Mr Robot had its season one finale, titled Zero Day, postponed for a week after news reporter Alison Parker and her camera operator Adam Ward were both shot dead in Moneta, VA. The Mr Robot episode featured a character taking their own life on live TV. Friends (2001) Friends had to completely change Monica and Chandler's honeymoon after the 9/11 attacks in New York. Their story originally saw Chandler questioned by authorities after joking that he'd brought a bomb into an airport. This was replaced by the storyline in which Monica and Chandler find themselves falling foul of a lucky couple also on their honeymoon. FBI (2022) Cop drama FBI had one of its major episodes urgently pulled from TV schedules after a school shooting in Texas. 21 people, many of whom were children aged between nine and 11, were killed in the small city of Uvalde. FBI was to feature a fictional school shooting in its season four finale, which was postponed. Active Shooter (2017) An episode of the eight-part 2017 documentary series Active Shooter: America Under Fire was pulled from TV after the Route 91 Harvest shooting in Las Vegas. 60 people were killed, making it the deadliest mass shooting by a lone gunman in US history. FBI episodes continued as normal a week later. A WB spokesperson added: 'Although financially we'd have every reason to run the episode, we think the timing is bad. We want everyone who'll be out wearing caps and gowns to remain safe.' Graduation Day Part 2 was eventually broadcast on this weekend in July 1999, two months later, and is regarded as one of the strongest episodes of the entire Buffy series. More Trending The season 3 finale wasn't the first Buffy episode to be affected by Columbine, however, with season 3's Earshot only broadcast in September 1999 after originally being slated for an April release. In Earshot, Buffy—briefly given the gift and curse of telepathy—begins hearing the thoughts of others and has to track down somebody who is planning to kill students at Sunnydale. Eventually, the prospective killer is found while assembling a rifle in a clock tower, although it is later revealed that he was only intending to shoot himself rather than any students. View More » Watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Disney Plus. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Ghost legend Patrick Swayze was 'the 10th choice' for iconic 90s movie MORE: Amazon Prime fans beat the heat and binge 'best sci-fi series in years' MORE: WWE fans raging over icon's 'disgraceful' retirement speech after 28-year career
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Yahoo
Glendale police learn to prioritize students over themselves in active shooter training
The Glendale Police Department hosted an active shooter training within Deer Valley High School to teach officers how to navigate an unfamiliar campus when a shooter threatens the safety of students. 'Every officer's got to be ready for this, especially our school resource officers and our patrol officers," said Glendale police Sgt. Trevor Goode, who led the training July 1. "They have to be ready to respond to this terrible situation that could occur." Glendale schools are not immune to gun violence. In 2016, two 15-year-old students were killed with a gun in a murder-suicide at Glendale Union High School District's Independence High School. All officers, sergeants and lieutenants in the Glendale Police Department are required to undergo active shooter training, but this was the first training many officers had conducted on school grounds, according to Officer Jude Soine. 'The last time we did training like this was years ago, shortly after Columbine," said Soine. "So it was totally different and slower-paced than what this is. This was much more aggressive." Unlike the Glendale Police Department's training facility, which officers know well, using Deer Valley High School for training allowed police officers to interact with an unfamiliar layout, much like they would in a real active shooter situation, Goode said. To recreate a realistic scenario, classroom doors were locked randomly, and hallways included trip hazards. At the beginning of some training scenarios, an officer would fire a weapon from somewhere within the school, and actors would scream for help and sprint from the scene. Officers would then try to locate the shooter using indicators, such as running crowds, gunshots, gunsmoke and shell casings. The training was supposed to evoke a high-risk, high-stress environment, Goode said. Officers were taught how to safely make their way down school hallways during a lockdown and enter a classroom potentially containing the shooter using a technique called 'the rabbit and the hero,' where an officer enters a room quickly to draw fire while a second officer trails them to take the shooter down. 'We have to be able and willing to drive into the threat to face that gunman down,' said Goode. 'I do want my officers coming in as fast as they can. I do want them to risk a lot to save a lot because there's kids in here that are completely innocent.' Throughout the training, Goode told officers that what was being taught was not the safest way to handle the situation, but the fastest, prioritizing the lives of students over their own, and that it may feel "foreign." 'When we respond to something, we're trained to keep ourselves safe, but also preserve life, protect property,' said Sgt. Moroni Mendez, a Glendale police spokesperson. 'But when we have an active killing, an active threat, that kind of goes out the window.' Prioritizing speed over officer safety is in large part a response to criticism of police response to past school shooter incidents, such as Uvalde, Texas, in 2022, where law enforcement officers faced criminal charges for failing to intervene promptly, according to Sgt. Brian Hoskin. In Uvalde, 19 elementary students and two teachers were killed. Nearly 80 minutes passed from the time the shooter began firing until he was killed by police. "We're training this so that people have it in the back of their minds just in case we ever have to come across this," said Hoskin. While the training was conducted within a school, the benefits translate to any populated area, Mendez said. 'It's really impactful," he said. "It has been for my career because it paints a vivid, clear and realistic picture of what I could potentially face when that threat is present at one of our schools, one of our malls, one of our public areas or spaces." Coverage of education solutions on and in The Arizona Republic is partially supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation's Arizona Community Collaborative Fund. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why police were training inside a Phoenix-area high school
Daily Mail
29-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Deranged Christian camp counselor 'threatened Columbine 2.0' against innocent kids for 'p***ing him off'
A sadistic counselor allegedly threatened the mass murder of children if they were to 'p**s him off' during a summer camp. Mario Bernal, 23, is accused of telling kids he would 'create the next Columbine shooting' at Christian Camp Cho-Yeh in Livingston, Texas. He allegedly repeated his threats when horrified camp officials planned to fire him, vowing he would 'clock himself out' and 'not go down by himself'. Bernal again threatened to turn the camp into a repeat of the infamous massacre if the camp 'came at him legally', an arrest affidavit alleged. He was already facing dismissal for locking a group of children in a sweltering hot room as 'discipline' and refusing to let the leave. Two teenage gunmen murdered 12 students and one teacher at Columbine High School in Colorado on April 20, 1999, and wounded 20 others. Columbine is the most notorious school shooting in US history and national trauma that led to increased campus security and renewed gun control efforts. Bernal, from Vernal, Utah, was arrested by Livingston Police and handed over to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, which was investigating him. Police pulled him over near the camp entrance after witnesses told them he was planning to flee to Houston with his girlfriend, who also worked for Camp Cho-Yeh. He was charged with making terroristic threats impeding public service and held at the Polk County Jail on a $50,000 bond. Bernal was already facing sex crime charges for allegedly forcibly kissing and touching a women in a car despite repeatedly being told to stop. The case was filed on May 8 after the incident in March.
Fox News
26-06-2025
- Fox News
Ex-camp counselor arrested after allegedly threatening violent revenge on Christian camp over firing
A former camp counselor was arrested last weekend after allegedly threatening to "create the next Columbine shooting" if children at the Texas summer camp were to "piss him off." Authorities arrested 23-year-old Mario Bernal, of Vernal, Utah, on Sunday over "terroristic threats" made to Christian Camp Cho-Yeh in Livingston, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post on Tuesday. Bernal, who was reportedly facing termination over cruel behavior and mistreatment of children, allegedly repeated his threat to recreate the 1999 Columbine High School incident – which left 12 students and one teacher dead – if the camp fired him, according to Fox 26 Houston, citing an arrest warrant affidavit. The former camp counselor reportedly said he would "clock himself out" if terminated, and "not go down by himself" if the camp "came at him legally," the outlet added. The camp fired Bernal after at least one camp worker said they saw him locking up a group of children in a hot room and refusing to let them leave as a form of "discipline," the local TV station reported. Police received reports of the threats and nabbed Bernal near the camp entrance after spotting him in a vehicle, the Livingston Police Department said on Sunday. "Threats to this community, especially involving our children, will always be taken seriously," Livingston police Chief Matt Parrish said in a statement. "I commend the quick and thorough investigation by the Sheriff's Office, as well as the response by our officers." Polk County Jail online records show Bernal remains in custody and is being held on a $250,000 surety bond.
New York Post
25-06-2025
- New York Post
Ex-Christian camp counselor threatened to 'create the next Columbine shooting' if kids 'piss him off'
A former counselor at a Texas Christian camp threatened to 'create the next Columbine shooting' if his kiddie campers were to 'piss him off.' Cops arrested Mario Bernal, 23, on Sunday after he allegedly made the threats to campers attending Camp Cho-Yeh in Livingston, according to Fox 26. A witness reported the threats to cops. Bernal, of Vernal, Utah, allegedly told the witness he would 'clock himself out' if the Christian camp fired him while threatening to carry out an attack inspired by the deadly 1999 school shooting that left 12 students and one teacher dead, the outlet reported. And if the camp 'came at him legally,' Bernal allegedly said he would 'not go down by himself.' 3 Mugshot of Mario Bernal, 23, who allegedly made the threats to campers at Camp Cho-Yeh in Livingston, Texas. Polk County Sheriff's Office 3 Police officers arrested Bernal on Sunday after he allegedly made the disturbing threats. Livingston Police Department Camp Cho-Yeh describes itself as 'a place where both youth and adults have grown in their faith and character, while having fun, and helping people grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ,' on its website. Bernal was working at the camp with his girlfriend, according to Fox 26. 3 Bernal was arrested on Sunday after a witness reported his disturbing statements to officials. Livingston Police Department Bernal is also accused of locking children in a hot room as a way to 'discipline' them,' staffers said. He was fired from the camp after his colleagues said they observed the cruelty. Cops nabbed the ex-counselor after spotting him at the camp's entrance sitting in his car, the Livingston Police Department said in a Facebook post. 'Threats to this community, especially involving our children, will always be taken seriously. I commend the quick and thorough investigation by the Sheriff's Office, as well as the response by our officers,' Livingston police Chief Matt Parrish said in a statement. The former counselor was charged with a terror threat impeding public service and is being held on a $50,000 bond.
